The South Coast ESRC Doctoral Training Partnership

The South Coast ESRC Doctoral Training Partnership funds postgraduate education across multiple universities, training the next generation of social scientists. This matters because the UK needs skilled researchers who can tackle complex social and economic challenges—from inequality and public health to regional economic development and digital transformation. Without sustained investment in doctoral training, the pipeline of experts who produce evidence for policymakers, charities, and businesses would shrink. If the partnership succeeds, it will produce dozens of PhD graduates equipped with rigorous quantitative and qualitative research skills. These researchers will go on to work in universities, government departments, think tanks, and the private sector. Their work quietly shapes how public services are designed, how welfare systems function, and how communities adapt to change. The training itself also strengthens the research infrastructure of the South Coast region, building long-term capacity at partner institutions. This is a training grant, not a single research project. Its impact is indirect but cumulative: every policy recommendation, every social programme evaluation, and every evidence-based decision that relies on social science depends on people who were trained somewhere. This partnership is one of those somewhere.